Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Opening AHEAD of Schedule

Even though Walt Disney World is opening at least a dozen attractions over the next 12 months (a record amount for a year without a new park opening), and there are a LOT of things to be excited about for this new year, the big event of 2019 will of course be the grand openings of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, both at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World. And though we've known for a long time that Disney would be opening both of these lands in 2019, we now have firm opening dates for Disneyland and Walt Disney World...and they might be sooner than you think!

Disneyland is going first on May 31, 2019, but there's a few catches

Image: Disney

As expected, Disneyland will be opening Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge first, and will be debuting this new land in just over two months on May 31st, 2019. But there's few caveats here. First off, only part of the land will be open, with Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance not opening along with the rest of the land, with Disney simply saying this additional attraction will open "sometime" later in 2019.

However, perhaps the even bigger catch is that guests planning to visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland park between May 31 and June 23, 2019 will need to schedule a reservation to access the land. Specific information on how to make a reservation has not been released yet, but we do know guests staying at one of the three Disneyland Resort hotels during these dates will be given preference and receive a designated reservation to access Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge during their stay.

Though we were expecting a late fall opening for Disney's Hollywood Studios it looks like construction is actually ahead of schedule, with Disney opening Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney's Hollywood Studios this summer on August 29, 2019. UPDATE: it looks like Disney has now confirmed that Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will not be available at Disney's Hollywood Studios on opening day either, with this ride opening being delayed until later in the year.

Though we don't know much about upcharge, preview, or paid FastPass+ availability for this land yet, Disney did confirm that Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge will be open for Extra Magic Hours at Disney's Hollywood Studios, which is definitely good news for resort guests, who may be feeling like this perk has been undervalued somewhat in recent months. Disney will also not be requiring reservations to visit this land at Disney's Hollywood Studios the way that they are at Disneyland

Disney released a short video clip teasing the Millennium Falcon ride above (and confirming the phased openings if you're a fan of reading small print)